Trolley-wire hanger.



G. H. BOLUS 6L W. A. DARRAH.

TROLLEY WIRE HANGER.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 2. 19m

1,296,748. Patented Mar.' 11,1919.

iiNrrEn sTA'rEsrATENr oEEioE.

GLENN HENRY VBoLUsANnvv,ILLiAi/i A. DARRAH, or iviANsEIELD, oHio, AssiGNoRsTo THE oHio BRAss COMPANY, or MANSFIELD, OHIO, A CORPORATION or NEW JERSEY.

TROLLEY-WIRE HANGER.

' Specicaton of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 11, 1919.

v Application filed'May 2, 1917. Serial No. 165,939.

To all whom t may concern invented certain new and useful Improvements in Trolley-Wire Hangers, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to hangers for trolley wires and is intended primarily for suspending such ytrolley wires from a messenger or catenary cable although the principle involved is suoli that the invention can be used with other forms of suspending device.

One object of our invention is to provide a `hanger which can be readily adjusted as to length in the field, andV at the time it is intended to use the device. It is well known in the catenary form of suspension of trolley wires, that is, where the trolley wire is main tained in a horizontal plane and suspended from a catenary cable which has a sag, that it is necessary to use connecting devices between the catenary cable and the trolley wire which are of varying lengths. This makes it necessary for the manufacturer to produce and the user to purchase a considerable variety of lengths of hangers and it has been found that when the actual work of installation takes place that very often the llengths of hangers ordered are not correct and it is therefore desirable to Y alter the length of such hangers, but with the types now in. general use on the Vmarket it is impossible to do so; therefore, we have produced an article whereby the adjustment, of the length of the hanger can be readily made in the field and at the time of installation of the hanger if desired. Y

Another important object of our invention is to provide a means whereby at all times there is an adjustable connection between the trolley wire and its overhead support so Vthat as the trolley wheel or currentV collector passes below a hanger and offers upward pressure to the trolley wire that the adj ust-V able connection will permit the trolley wire to rise and fall, thus giving iiexibility to the trolley wire at its point of support and reducing sparking.

. To put these principles intotangible form where they'ca'n be used, we employ a device which is illustrated and shown inthe attached drawing and a description of which isV as follows: j Figure 1 shows anend elevationV view-'of our hanger ;V the fulllines represent'one position ofthe adjustable yokes to be described later, and the dotted lines show another position of the saine yQkes after the lengths of the hanger rods have been altered,

Fig. 2 is aside elevation of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 shows a side elevation of the device in Figs. l and'Q- in which the suspension rods have been cut ofil but not as yet upset Von theV end.

yFig. i shows our invention in a modified form-whereby the adjustable yokes can be maintained at varying points onV the suspension rod without the necessity of altering the length of the rod.

In Figs. l and 2 is shown a construction consisting of two clamping Vjaws 1, which may or may not be duplicates and which are intended for gripping the trolley wire Q. TheV clamping jaws are caused to grip the vtrolley wire by means of the bolt 3' andthe nut 4 as shown. The suspension rods 5 mayY be attached to the clamping jaws in various ways but inthe construction herein shown the ends of the rod are upset and engaged with cavities or recesses in the Vface of the .clamping jaws and are maintained therein senger cable'and at the same time supportY a trolley wire.

If, upon installing the device, it is found that the distance Vbetween the messenger Vcable and the trolley wire will be less than voriginally expected, then with our construction it is intended that Ythe suspension rod 5 Vshalljbe cut ofi to the proper length and the ends upset, thereby permanently alteringor shortening theoriginal length of the'hanger.

To facilitate this change in length, Vit is only necessary to employ Va hammer and cold chisel or other'simpleand convenient means to out theA rods 5 and the upsetting of their ends is very easilyVV carried out by means of a peening hammer. yoke member 7a shown' by dottedline,frepre The position of theV sents the position of the same after a in length has been made.

In Fig. 3 is shown the device in Figs. l and 2 -after the rod has been cut off but before the yoke member has been replaced and the ends of the rod upset. In this case the rod is slightly longer before it is upset than after, as indicated by a comparison with the line X.

We have found that it is not necessary to cut'the suspension rods and upset them in order to adjust the distance between the yoke member and the trolley wire which governs the length between the messenger cable 9 and the trolley wire but that other ways may be employed to alter and maintain this variable distance and such a variation in our structure is shown in Fig. 4. In this structure the yoke member is made adjust able upon the rod by means of a set screw l0 and it is not necessary to cut the rod off unless desired but they may be maintained change as originally sent out and the upset ends will then act as a safety member in case the set;

screw should allow the yoke member to sli at any time upon the rod. We have found, 1 however, that with a proper set screw per-g3l fect safety can be secured even though t suspension rod may be cut and not upset.

employed to maintain the yokes in varying positions upon the rod and we do not wish to be limited to either the upset head 8 or the set screw l0 as shown.

It will be readily comprehended that this invention will permit the trolley wire to freely rise and fall at the time'of the passage of a trolley pole below the wire at the point of support and in the structure shown in Figs. l and 2 the rods 5 may slide up and down in the member 7 and this is especially true if the member 7 is constructed so as to iiXedly engage the messenger cable 9. This slidable feature of the members 5 and 7 with respect to each other or to the messenger cable oifers greater flexibility to the trolley system and reduces sparking where the trolley is supported.

While we describe the form of construction which we prefer used, we do not desireV is Other means than the set screw 10 can be "i 2. The combination with a trolley wire clamp and suspension rods attached thereto of a bridging member slidably mounted on the suspension rods and maintaining the rods in a separated position, bosses on the bridging member encircling the suspension rod and means associated with the bosses to adjust the bridging member to any position thereon.

8. The combination with a trolley wire clamp and parallel suspension rods attached thereto of a slidable member mounted on the suspension rods and means for permanently retaining the slidable member on the rods.

4. The combination with a trolley wire clamp and suspension rods attached thereto of a slidable member mounted on the suspension rods, means on the suspension rod for permanently retaining the sliding member thereon, and means for retaining the slidable member at any position on the rods A@to vary the distance between the clamp and the slidable member.

5. A trolley wire hanger consisting of a trolley clamp, a pair of rods spaced apart and having one end engaging the clamp, a bridging member engaging the rods and closing the end opening therebetween and enlarged means on the ends of the rods for permanently preventing the disengagement of thel bridging .member therefrom.

6. A trolley wire hanger comprising a trolley wire clamp, a pair of rods spaced apart and having one end engaging the clamp, a bridging member engaging the rods and closing the end opening therebetween and slidably adjustable in a longitudinal direction on the rods and means passing through the bridging member for securing the bridging member at any point on the spaced rods.

7. A trolley wire hanger comprising a trolley wire clamp, a pair of rods spread apart, a bridging member slidably adjustable upon the rods and the ends ofthe rods upset to retainthe bridging member thereon.

8. A trolley wire hanger comprising `a trolley wire clamp, suspension means engaging the clamp, a member slidably mounted on the suspension member, means on the ends of the Vsuspension means to permanently prevent the removal of the slidable member and means on the slidable member to secure the slidable member to the suspension mem'- ber at anypoint between its ends and the clamp.

In testimony whereof we aiiiX'our signa- Copies of 'this patent may be obtained for ve cents Yeach, by addressing the "Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C. 

